Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM EDT
Broad commitments to improving health equity are laudable – and long-overdue. Without a policy and regulatory environment that incentivizes change, however, commitments alone cannot succeed in improving health equity or reducing disparities in access and outcomes.
Policymakers have the opportunity to affect real change, but in the decentralized, market-driven U.S. healthcare system, the path forward is far from clear. In particular, interest in formalizing the use of economic evaluations in coverage and reimbursement decisions is growing, presenting both a quandary and an opportunity.
What policy actions are needed to incentivize changes in the behavior of organizations and individuals that will reduce disparities – and what are the key decisions to target? What role should value assessments play in shaping the decisions that determine access and outcomes?